Adam Schlesinger, an acclaimed singer-songwriter for the bands Fountains of Wayne and Ivy, who had an award-winning second career writing songs for film, theater and television, died April 1 in Poughkeepsie, NY. He was 52. The cause was complications of the coronavirus, his family said.

In the Fountains of Wayne, started in 1995, Mr. Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood perfected a novelistic form of hummable pop-rock. The group became a cult favorite.

Mr. Schlesinger found success in other media as well. He wrote the Beatlesesque theme song to “That Thing You Do!,” a 1996 film directed by Tom Hanks about an also-ran 1960s rock band. It had a catchy melody and a twisting chord progression that caught on immediately. The movie brought Mr. Schlesinger nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. He also won three Emmys for his songs on the 2010s TV show, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.”

He received two Grammy nominations with Fountains of Wayne, and a solo trophy for Stephen Colbert’s “A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!,” for best comedy album.